Book picks similar to
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby by Mark Farrer


crime-mystery-suspense
dark-humor
santa-wish-list
scotland

Fearless Girl


Emma Tallon - 2020
     When everything changes, you have to come out fighting. It’s been three years since Freddie Tyler was sent to prison, now he’s back on the streets of London and about to find out that everything has changed. As Freddie enters his West End club for the first time in years, he finds ex-girlfriend Anna Davis sitting behind his desk, confidently leading his team of men. Anna used to hate the world he lived in, but she has now become a big part of it. And she’s not about to give up running the family business easily. Anna shows a toughness Freddie has never witnessed in her before when she tells him about her new enterprise, smuggling stolen diamonds through London’s Hatton Garden. And alarm bells start ringing when Freddie meets Anna’s new partner. Cold and ruthless, Roman Gains isn’t someone Freddie trusts around the club and particularly not around Anna. Whilst tensions flare between Anna and Freddie, a new Russian firm enters their world, determined to bring the Tylers down. And when they take out one of his best men, Freddie has to take drastic action to wrestle control from Anna. But she has other ideas. And when Roman becomes Anna’s closest ally, Freddie finally reaches breaking point. Could this be the fall of the Tyler empire and the last time Freddie and Anna are on the same side?

The Murder Before Christmas


Michele Pariza Wacek - 2021
    She does NOT do love potions.Not even for Courtney, her pregnant new client who showed up three weeks before Christmas seeking a love potion because her husband was cheating on her.So, Courtney asked about poison, instead.She said she was joking. That's what happens between wives and husbands. They get angry and talk about killing each other. They don't really mean it.It seems to make sense ... until Courtney’s husband turns up dead on Christmas Eve.He was poisoned, of course.And who is the number one suspect? Courtney. Of course.But did she actually do it? Or is she being set up?It's up to Charlie to sort through all the twists and turns in a case that gets more complicated the deeper she digs.Meet Charlie. Better known as “Aunt Charlie” from the award-winning Secrets of Redemption series. She's back, making teas and solving cases in this funny, twisty, cozy mystery series set in the 1990s in Redemption, Wisconsin.

The Abbey Close


Steven Veerapen - 2018
    Sampson, S.J. Parris and Rory Clements."A superb, page-turning debut. The author balances gimlet-eyed research with narrative drive and clever reveals... Danforth is a strong yet torn central character... I look forward to reading the second book in the series." Richard Foreman.Steven Veerapen was born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English, focussing his dissertation on representations of Henry VIII’s six wives. He then received a Masters in Renaissance studies, and a Ph.D. investigating Elizabethan slander. The Abbey Close represents his first foray into fictional writing. Steven is fascinated by the glamour and ghastliness of life in the 1500s, and has a penchant for myths, mysteries and murders in an age in which the law was as slippery as those who defied it.

The Case of the Missing Bride


Carmen Radtke - 2017
    Their presence is withheld from the male passengers and all but a select few members of the crew. But their worlds collide when one of the gentlemen stumbles over the women. When one of the intended brides goes missing, only Alyssa Chalmers, the one educated, wealthy woman in the group, is convinced the disappearance is no accident. She sets out to find out what happened. Has there been a murder? Alyssa is willing to move heaven and earth to find out the truth. She is about to discover that there is more to her voyage into the unknown than she bargained for ...

The Black Douglas Trilogy


J.R. Tomlin - 2014
    James Douglas is a Scottish youth sent to France by his noble father to escape being taken hostage by the English. When word comes that his father has died in the Tower of London, he is hurled into the war between Scotland and England. Catapulted into an intrigue of rival factions and clashing armies that threatens Scotland, his own lands, and his life, he joins the newly crowned Robert the Bruce in a desperate, seemingly hopeless struggle. Thus begins a story of bravery and determination that has echoed through the ages. This bundle includes the entire Black Douglas Trilogy: A KINGDOM'S COST COUNTENANCE OF WAR NOT FOR GLORY

Bloq


Alan Jones - 2016
    When the last train has pulled in, and she doesn't get off it, he makes a desperate overnight dash to find out why. His search for her takes over his life, costing him his job and, as he withdraws from home, family and friends, he finds himself alone, despairing of ever seeing her again.This is a gritty crime novel with some sexual content

False Prophet


Richard Davis - 2016
    He will do anything to save himWhen a rogue cult turns deadly, the FBI call on former conman Agent Saul Marshall. FALSE PROPHET introduces a gripping new series from thriller writer Richard DavisMarshall is soon drawn into a cat and mouse chase with the leader of the cult, Ivan Drexler. As the scale of Drexler’s terrorist ambition becomes ever clearer, news arrives that he has taken Marshall’s son hostage. Removed from the line of duty, he must work alone, off-grid.As the attacks intensify, Saul will stop at nothing to defeat Drexler.But the FBI are questioning Saul’s own part in the carnage. He must work fast to save both his country and his life. Can Saul stop the carnage before it’s too late? And can he save his son?As wave after wave of attacks break, the clock is ticking for Saul.Fast-paced, relentless and brutally exciting, FALSE PROPHET marks the entrance of a major new thriller talent. For readers of Lee Child, David Baldacci and Michael Connolly, it will leave your heart pounding.

Snow Light


Danielle Zinn - 2017
    Out of guilt, Thomas quits his job at Homicide Headquarters and relocates to the tiny village of Turtleville, where he regains control of himself and begins to enjoy life again. However, a year later, all the guilt and shame of the park murder re-emerges when a local hermit, Ethan Wright, is murdered with an unusual weapon and left on display in the centre of the village.For Thomas, the situation gets worse when DS Ann Collins, a colleague from his past, appears to help with the case. But things become complicated when the victim’s identity is put into question.Who is the victim? And why was he murdered?Thomas and Collins will find themselves trying to solve a highly unusual case and both may have more in common than they could have ever imagined.Danielle Zinn is a debut author not to be missed. If you like gripping murder mysteries full of twists and turns then you'll love Snow Light.

Littered with Trouble


Eryn Scott - 2022
    She never imagined she would be a widow before the age of forty. To cope with the sudden loss of her husband, Lou moves across the country to live near her best friend in a town as cute as a button. Even though it means quitting her fancy New York editor job, she now owns the bookstore of her dreams. Well, almost. She definitely didn’t dream about a dead man showing up in her alley. Found with no identification, the police plaster the man’s face everywhere, along with the name of her bookshop, inundating Lou with negative press before she can even open. Worse, Lou was one of the last people to see him alive, and she didn’t even get his name.Worried the mystery man’s family is left without the answers she so desperately needed in her husband’s death, Lou tries to help find the man’s identity. On closer inspection, she realizes her conversation with the mystery man was full of clues. Starting with a confusing book page he left behind, Lou follows the trail. If she can solve this mystery, her bookstore might have a chance at being known for something more than murder.

The Merlon Murders


Victoria Benchley - 2015
    Hoping to learn more about his ancestry, Duncan is drawn to the village of Taye, Scotland, where his past and future are about to collide, altering the trajectory of his life forever. Was the laird of Castle Taye accidently crushed by a merlon from his own battlement, or are more sinister forces at work? Is the alluring widow and beneficiary of eleven million pounds to blame, or innocent? Is a ghost seeking vengeance against members of Clan MacNab for the slaughter of her loved one hundreds of years ago? Will Duncan be the next victim of the merlon murders? Follow Duncan on a culinary tour of breathtaking Scotland as he navigates through relationships with the villagers of Taye in his quest for answers. The Merlon Murders I is part one of a two part mystery. Books by Victoria Benchley include: The Snail Man at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O97FE9W The Merlon Murders I The Merlon Murders II The Crime at the Bakery (A short story) - Coming Soon Join my exclusive mailing list at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victori... and click on the sign up button, near the top. By doing so, you'll receive the latest news about upcoming novels and free offers available only to my mailing list. Follow Victoria Benchley because I enjoy connecting with fans. On Twitter: http://twitter.com/@vbenchley On Facebook: Victoria J Benchley

The 13th Victim


Linda S. Prather - 2017
    Rescued by the man she believed responsible, Andi lost everything: the man she loved, her promising future as an investigative reporter and her memory of the weeks leading up to her torture. "Tell me what I want to know and I won't hurt you again."Thomas's voice haunted her dreams, sending her into the pits of depression to seek solace in a bottle of whiskey until a young woman reaches out for help. Twelve young girls have been brutally murdered, their bodies hidden beneath concrete structures. The thirteenth victim is fighting back the only way she knows how, and telling their story to the one person she believes will listen. "I'm sixteen, alone and scared. I killed a man yesterday, and today I'm going to kill another one."

The Reluctant Detective


Sinclair MacLeod - 2010
    He doesn't believe he can help but reluctantly agrees to investigate. Before long he is plunged into a world of corruption, deceit and greed. His journey takes him from the underbelly of Glaswegian society to the rural idyll of a millionaire's mansion. Along the way, a death close to home ensures that he has a personal reason to face the dangers and bring the murderer to justice.

Blackmail, Sex and Lies: A Victorian True Crime Murder Mystery


Kathryn McMaster - 2017
    It is the tale of a naïve, young woman caught up in a whirlwind romance with an older man. However, both have personality flaws that result in poor choices, and which leads to a tragic end. For 160 years, people have believed Madeleine Smith to have been guilty of murder. But was she? Could she have been innocent after all? This Victorian murder mystery, based on a true story, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, 1857. It explores the disastrous romance between the vivacious socialite, Madeleine Hamilton Smith, and her working class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier. After a two-year torrid, and forbidden relationship with L’Angelier, that takes place against her parents' wishes, the situation changes dramatically when William Minnoch enters the scene. This new man in Madeleine’s life is handsome, rich, and of her social class. He is also a man of whom her family approve. Sadly, insane jealous rages and threats of blackmail are suddenly silenced by an untimely death. Written in British English, in the creative nonfiction style, this Scottish Noir will be enjoyed by those who enjoy Victorian murder mysteries, unsolved crimes, or fictionalised accounts of true crime. See the author’s bestselling debut novel, “Who Killed Little Johnny Gill?” - another Victorian whodunit based on a real crime.

Empty Nets and Promises


Denzil Meyrick - 2016
    Daley novels, comes up with a cunning plan to bring the laws of nature back into balance. But as the wily crew go about their work, little do they know that they face the forces of law and order in the shape of a vindictive Fishery Officer, an Exciseman who suspects Hoynes of smuggling illicit whisky, and the local police sergeant who is about to become Hoynes' new son-in-law.Meyrick takes us back to the halcyon days of light-hearted Scottish fiction, following in the footsteps of Compton Mackenzie and Neil Munro, with hilarious encounters involving ghostly pipers, the US Navy and even some Russian trawlerman.

Murder Served Cold


Paula Williams - 2018
    Until… After her boyfriend runs out on her with the contents of their joint bank account, Kat Latcham has no choice but to return to the tiny Somerset village of Much Winchmoor, where she grew up. A place, she reckons, that is not so much sleepy as comatose, and she longs for something exciting to happen to lessen the boredom of living with her parents. But when she and her childhood friend, Will Manning, discover a body, and Will's father, John, is arrested for the murder, Kat suddenly realises she should have heeded the saying "be careful what you wish for”. Much Winchmoor is a hotbed of gossip, and everyone is convinced John Manning is guilty. Only Kat and Will believe he's innocent. When there's a second murder, Kat is sure she knows the identity of the murderer – and sets out to prove it. But in doing so, she almost becomes the murderer's third victim. Readers of Sue Grafton might enjoy the Much Winchmoor series of cosy murder mysteries spiked with humour and sprinkled with romance.